How to Solve a Jigsaw Puzzle Faster: 10 Simple Tips

Some people finish a 300-piece puzzle in half an hour, while others spend an evening on it. Speed is not a talent you are born with: it comes from a few simple habits. Whether you play on a table or online, these ten tips will help you finish puzzles faster and enjoy them more.

1. Look at the whole picture first

Before you touch a single piece, spend a minute studying the picture. Notice where the sky ends, where the colours change and which details stand out, such as a red roof, a boat or a line of text. This mental map tells you where each piece is likely to go. On Jigsaw Earth you can open the preview picture at any time, so use it whenever you feel lost.

2. Start with the edges

The classic method still works best. Edge pieces have one straight side, and corners have two, so they are easy to find and easy to connect. Building the frame first gives you a fixed size and clear starting points for everything else. In an online puzzle, drag the edge pieces into one corner of the table so they are all in one place.

3. Sort the pieces by colour

Once the frame is done, group the remaining pieces into piles of similar colour: blue sky, green trees, white clouds, red rooftops. Then build each area separately. A picture like the colourful bathing boxes of Brighton is much easier when every hut becomes its own small puzzle.

4. Begin with the most detailed part

Areas with lots of detail, such as buildings, text, animals or boats, have unique pieces that can only fit in one place. They are the quickest to complete. Leave large plain areas, like a clear sky or calm water, until the end, when there are fewer pieces left to choose from.

5. Use lines as guides

Straight lines are your best friend: the horizon, the edge of a road, a bridge, the roofline of a building. Pieces that carry part of a line can be joined quickly, and the line shows you which way the picture continues. In landscapes, the horizon is often the first thing to build after the frame.

6. Read the shapes of the pieces

When colours are almost the same, look at the shapes instead. Most pieces have knobs (tabs) and holes (blanks) in different combinations. If a gap needs two knobs and two holes in a certain order, you can ignore every piece that does not match. This is the secret to finishing those difficult skies and seas.

7. Work in small sections

Instead of trying the whole puzzle at once, focus on one small area until it is complete, then move to the next. Finished sections are satisfying and help you keep going. They also free up space on the table, which makes it easier to see the remaining pieces.

8. Try a piece in several places

Do not hold a piece and stare at the picture for minutes. If you are not sure, try it quickly in two or three likely spots. In an online puzzle, a piece that fits will snap into place, so testing costs almost nothing.

9. Choose the right number of pieces

A puzzle should be a challenge, not a chore. If you only have ten minutes, choose a smaller number of pieces; if you want a long, calm session, go bigger. On Jigsaw Earth every picture can be played from 12 up to 300 pieces, so you can start small and increase the difficulty as you improve.

10. Take breaks and come back

When you get stuck, step away for a few minutes. Your eyes rest, and when you return you will often spot a match straight away. Puzzles are meant to be relaxing, so there is no reason to rush. The more puzzles you solve, the faster you will naturally become.

Practise with a daily puzzle

The best way to get faster is to play a little every day. Try the puzzle of the day on our home page, or test your knowledge of geography with the daily Where on Earth game, where you have to guess the place once the picture is complete.